


Ay, Ay, We're rising sun

by heartjoongs (krucxa)



Series: Raise me up, Take me up [3]
Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Angst, Attempt at Humor, Fluff and Angst, JUST, M/M, a lil bit of injuries!!!!, bc.... they're superheroes for fucks sake, fhkjashkls, i think i should actually tag that this time lmao, in general, no beta we die like men, some neck kisses?????, uh mingi nd yunho are only mentioned this time unu, uhhhhhhhhhhhh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-10
Updated: 2019-02-10
Packaged: 2019-10-25 17:38:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17729744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/krucxa/pseuds/heartjoongs
Summary: The thing about being the leader of ATEEZ is that Hongjoong feels responsible of keeping his members from harm.





	Ay, Ay, We're rising sun

**Author's Note:**

> fhsjahsj i feel like this part of this series is a bit messy...... but i wanted to focus on the others a bit. you'll understand what i mean when u read the notes at the end fkbkdj
> 
> anyway, this is unbeta'd, but i hope u'll still like it!!

The thing about being the leader of ATEEZ is that Hongjoong feels responsible of keeping his members from harm.

Realistically, he knows that as an organization of Supers, all of them are bound to injuries, both smaller or greater when the time calls it; but every time he sends them on a mission just to see them come back, covered in blood as they stumble into their base, he can't help but feel guilty, as if he's let them down somehow.

And today is one of those days.

His heart clenches painfully when in the middle of the mission, he hears a familiar voice, Cancer's chilling scream filling the air. Immediately, he whips his head around, just to see the said Super falling to his knees, hand clutching at his shoulder, followed by the empty sound of a bullet hitting the ground.

And at the moment his members needs him the most, at the moment a responsible leader should step in, Hongjoong freezes.

It's Aries that runs to Cancer's side, the boy's name falling from his lips as his voice cracks over the single syllabe. Hongjoong doesn't process it at first, too preocuppied with the sight of Seonghwa's scared eyes, hands trembling, yet still careful as he tugs down the wounded boy's mask. He can see Seonghwa's mouth opening, forming words that he doesn't get to hear, because his own hearbeat is pounding in his ears and he only comes back to reality when he sees Aries' gaze piercing right through him ㅡ and _oh_ , he's shouting his name.

Quickly casting a brief glance around to check if he's safe to leave for Cancer's spot, he sprints over, ducking behind the cover that Seonghwa's dragged the boy to.

Cursing under his breath, he scans Cancer's injury, as best as he can with the coat and the boy's own hand covering it, before he taps at his earpiece, "Yunho, we need to leave"

Seonghwa's eyes glisten in a way that's impossible unless pricked with tears, and Hongjoong reaches out an unsteady hand to tip back Cancer's head, breath hitching at the sight of San's face twisted in pain. The fact that he actually knows the injured boy outside of the organization only makes him feel even more guilty.

"Shit, Scorpio, but what about the mission?" comes Yunho's reply, loud and clear in his ear, but at this moment, Hongjoong has other priorities.

" _Yunho_ , do you want to see Cancer again or not?"

There's a hiss as Hongjoong assumes the younger sucks in a breath at the words, and for a second the line goes dead before Yunho speaks up again, "I've sent Libra to get you, just, get out of there without any more injuries, okay?"

"You know I can't promise this won't happen," he murmurs back, snaking his arm around Cancer's waist and pulling him up into a standing position, and Seonghwa's quick to throw San's unharmed arm over his shoulders to help keep the younger steady.

"But I can tell you that if you're careful enough, you'll make it out without a scratch."

Yunho's statement calms down his nerves a little, and he nods at Seonghwa to let him know he's ready. With that, they step ahead, and it takes all of Hongjoong's self control not to break down at San's muffled, pained sobs.

➳

The only upside of this situation is that they don't have to wait long for their ride to arrive.

As it slows down to a stop in front of them, Hongjoong's the one to pull the door opened and he lets Seonghwa slide in first, carefully pulling San along so he's safely tucked in, in between the older and the leader. The boy lets out a whine when his shoulder bumps against the side of the car, but otherwise keeps mostly silent. Probably due to the pain, Hongjoong guesses as he worries his lip anxiously, before his eyes meet Libra's gaze.

The boy sits at the front, but he's not the one driving, and as Hongjoong glances to the side he notices Gemini's back turned to them, his shoulders tense and fingers clasped at the steering wheel.

Libra seems to sense his confusion because before Hongjoong can ask, the younger's already speaking, "he was worried."

Gemini's shoulders stiffen even more at that, before he huffs out a mumbled, " _'was not_."

It lightens the mood a little, even if only a bit, but Hongjoong's grateful for that. He's pretty sure if the silence stretched out for any moment longer he'd go crazy.

So he manages to crack a smile, and if it wobbles a little, nobody comments on it.

"Are you _sure_ you weren't? Not even a tiny bit worried?" he huffs out, glancing to his side to see San resting his head on Seonghwa's shoulder, and despite everything, his eyes are trained on Gemini as he raises his eyebrows, amused.

"No," Gemini murmurs, a little bit too quick for it to be natural, and he seems to realize it as he adds in, voice more stable than before, "no, of course not. it's just that Libra's still a kid, I couldn't just let him drive, right?"

The said Super whips his head to glare at Gemini, "we're a year apart, asshole."

Hongjoong notes the information in his mind. Maybe Libra isn't actually as young as he first thought. The fact calms him down a little ㅡ he doesn't have to worry anymore about one of his members still being a child.

Then, San speaks up, and his voice is hoarse and just a tiny bit unsteady, but they all seem to agree on ignoring the fact, "really? And here I was, thinking that you care about me."

Hongjoong watches, fascinated, as Gemini curls in on himself even more, head hunched as low as he can without actually losing the sight of the road ahead, before he murmurs, "okay, maybe I was a little worried."

At that, San lets out a quiet whoop, and Hongjoong catches Libra's glance before turning to look at Seonghwa. The older's staring out of the window, but it's obvious he's been listening in because of the small smile that tugs at his lips. One of his hands rest reassuringly on San's knee, and Hongjoong can feel a comfortable warmth filling his chest, before he reminds himself why they're in this situation to begin with.

Before he can think about it more, though, Libra breaks the silence again.

"We're here."

Seonghwa perks up at that, as if he's been too lost in thoughts to even notice, and San blinks up at him as he straightens up in his seat.

After Hongjoong steps out of the cab, he's careful not to cause any more injuries as he tugs San's wrist and helps him leave the car. Though, before he can wrap his arm around the boy's waist again, Gemini's already by his side, and the Super nods at him in a way that clearly means _I've got this_.

As he watches Gemini and Seonghwa drag Cancer, it finally strucks him ㅡ there's yet another Super that Hongjoong now can link to a person he knows outside of ATEEZ; someone he'd pass by fairly often on his daily life, someone who gets along with Hongjoon's own group of friends, oh God, his boyfriend's best friend.

Did Seonghwa know about Cancer's identity this entire time? Or did he only realize recently? He'd certainly knew it before San got shot, because now that Hongjoong thinks about it, he can remember Seonghwa call San's name before he even got to tug his mask off.

For some reason, that fact makes him feel even more guilty.

He's their leader. He shouldn't let his own members get injured, he should've handled the situation better. The least he could do was actually do _anything_ , and yet, he didn't even manage to do that. He just froze.

He bites at his lip as he locks his gaze on the ground. Is he really the leader they all deserve?

"I can literally _hear_ you blaming yourself from here."

There's a light bump at his arm as Libra knocks their elbows together, voice clear and face carefully blank despite the concerned glint in his eyes. Hongjoong steals a glance at the younger, but quickly averts his eye.

"Don't worry about it," he replies, and he knows he's failed at sounding casual, but at least Libra doesn't try to push him into actually answering.

There's a comfortable silence that follows, and they just stand there, by the empty car, both lost in their own worlds. In the meantime, Hongjoong feels a something heavy, but comfortingly warm slip onto his shoulders, and he looks up to find the younger already turned away and lacking his own coat.

A soft smile tugs at his lips as he looks away.

(After that little bonding moment, Hongjoong realizes that Libra seems to trust him more than he did before.

It's... reassuring, in a way.)

➳

Now that Hongjoong thinks about it, there's really not that much he knows about either side of San.

Cancer's a member of ATEEZ. He was the sixth one to present, around a month after Gemini and Sagittarius, and he'd always joke around with Leo or try to lighten the mood if neither Yunho nor Leo weren't around.

Though, Hongjoong never really noticed him interact with Aries, but that might be because he was too busy as the leader (or too busy getting lost in Aries' eyes, take a wild guess.

Okay, it was actually the latter).

And San is just... San.

A year younger than Hongjoong, the boy always seemed to just, stick around. If there's something vaguely irritating, the boy would poke his head inside the room before offering help. If Hongjoong had trouble drifting off on top of his messed up sleep schedule, bleary eyes trained on a few books stacked on the counter of the campus library, the boy would swipe in and ramble about everything and nothing, hand rubbing comforting circles on Hongjoong's back until he finally drifted off to a nap.

Now, Hongjoong knows why it was always so easy for him to fall asleep whenever that happened. It was literally San's power.

Pursing his lips, he tries to concentrate again, coming up with anything else he knew about the younger.

He seemed to like changing his hair color spontaneously, whenever he felt like it. As Seonghwa's best friend, Hongjoong would briefly see the two hanging out quite a lot, and only so much time could pass by until San started to visit Hongjoong's café as well. He'd always ask for hot chocolate instead of coffee, though, and Hongjoong never really asked the younger to confirm it, but he thinks San might have a sweet tooth.

Aside that, though, he doesn't really know the boy at all.

The fact makes him kind of uncomfortable. Shouldn't he, as a good leader, be closer with all his members? Shouldn't he know them all better than just their appearances and the tiny bits of their personalities?

Maybe he really isn't as good of a leader as they seemed to think when they chose him on their last day at the facility.

Maybe he doesn't try enough. Or maybe he's just not made to be a leader.

Maybe someone else would do better.

Seonghwa would make a good leader, Hongjoong thinks. He's the oldest of them all, and he's the perfect balance of responsible yet fiery when the situation calls for it. All the other members seem to trust him because of that.

Yunho would be pretty good, too, now that he really thinks about it. The boy already takes care of most of the paperwork, and he gets along well with everyone. It's impossible not to like him, so Hongjoong's pretty sure they all would listen to him as their leader.

Maybe Hongjoong's holding the team back.

As he curls more into himself, head tipping under the blanket, heart pounding in his ears and lower lip trembling uncomfortably, it sure feels like it.

Fingers tangling in his hair, he counts his uneven breaths, trying to calm himself down, but it doesn't work, because he only feels even more helpless as a result. A few seconds pass, and he doesn't try to stop the tears anymore, because hey, does it really matter if he cries now?

Did it really happen if no one's there to witness it?

➳

They're sitting on Seonghwa's bed, the said boy playing with Hongjoong's hair as he lets the younger lean back into his touch. It's one of those days that Hongjoong lets himself forget about all the responsibilities, lets himself feel the moment as Seonghwa's chest rises slowly with every breath, gently brushing his back, and he's surrounded by Seonghwa's scent, calming all his running thoughts of unfinished business.

He sighs as Seonghwa's fingers pull unintentionally at a strand of hair, carefully tying it into a thin braid that falls apart at the ends after he's done, anyway, because they have no hair tie and they don't bother looking for any, either.

"How long have you known?" he mumbles into the air, and the older's fingers don't stop their work on his locks, and it only tells how much Seonghwa must be focusing as he doesn't answer until a few seconds later.

(It's kind of cute.)

"About what?"

Seonghwa's voice isn't anything more than a hum, and Hongjoong can feel the puff of air on his neck.

"San," he replies easily, and this time, the older's hands still and Hongjoong turns his head to see Seonghwa staring off into space, lost in thoughts. He blinks, waiting patiently until Seonghwa's eyes snap back to meet Hongjoong's own, and a rosy pink dusts over his cheeks when he realizes the younger's been staring at him the entire time.

Embarrassed, he ducks his head, resting it on top of Hongjoong's shoulder, and it takes all of Hongjoong's willpower not to coo out loud.

"I think, I..." the boy mumbles into his clothes, and Hongjoong jokingly slaps at his arm, because _come on_ , he can't even hear the older. Lifting his head, Seonghwa repeats himself in a surprisingly serious voice, "I think I realized still at the facility. Only around a month after we left, did San actually came up to me to actually _talk_ about it."

Hongjoong's mouth falls open, and he doesn't even bother hiding his surprise as he responds, "seriously? You knew from the beginning?"

"Yeah," the older nods, a small smile pulling at his lips and Hongjoong sees the moment his eyes soften, "we figured that, hey, we're best friends, right? There's no point in hiding it from the other, honestly, I think San might've actually realized even before me," a chuckle rumbles out of his throat before he adds, "he probably saw me entering the facility for the first time and went _what's this idiot doing here, now_?"

(Hearing Seonghwa talk about his best friend like that, he feels bad now for not even trying to become closer with San, before.

He thinks he's been feeling guilty an awful lot, lately.)

➳

He's leaning back over the counter, neck tipped back and staring blankly at the ceiling when it happens.

The coffee shop is surprisingly empty at the moment, considering it's the middle of the day, and the sunlight slips inside through the windows, casting weird, smooth shapes over the unclaimed chairs, and warming up the leather seats.

The door opens so hesitantly, so quietly that Hongjoong wouldn't even notice it, if not for the complete silence of the café.

Sighing, he pushes himself off the counter, and he's about to go and ask for the customer's order but the sight of a stranger walking straight up to him, face uncertain and hands clenched at his sides, stops him.

He blinks, straightening up and noting how he has to barely glance up to look into the boy's eyes. Casting his gaze over the stranger's face, he has to admit the other seems objectively pretty, with his sharp jaw and visible cheekbones, yet still managing to look soft at the edges. And boy, his eyebrows game is _strong_.

"I, um," the stranger says, voice so shy it sounds almost like a whisper, and the boy seems to notice because he clears his throat before trying again, this time a little louder, "you're still looking for new waiters, right?"

Taken aback, Hongjoong only stares at the boy, because technically, yeah, the offer is still up, and he doesn't even need to check because he _knows_ it. It's been hanging pathetically at the door of the coffee shop for the past three months, because as much as the pay is pretty decent for a simple café, it's still retail work, and who would want to do _that_?

But the stranger seems serious, even if he seems to grow even more anxious with every second that passes by, and _shit_ , he's still waiting for Hongjoong to answer.

"Yeah, we are, actually," he almost bites his tongue in his rush, and he glances back at the door behind the counter, before peeking at the boy again, "let me just, uh, go get the manager? Yeah?"

The other nods, looking as unsure as Hongjoong feels, and they stand there wordlessly for a second, before Hongjoong catches himself again and slips away.

(As it later turns out, the boy's name is Yeosang.

Hongjoong doesn't get to see him until the next day, doing a double take and almost getting whiplash when he sees the other already by the counter, self-consciously picking at the shirt of his uniform, and Hongjoong briefly wonders if the café is just _that_ desperate for new workers or if the boy is just overqualified for this job.

Honestly, it might be even both, now that Hongjoong really thinks about it.

When the boy notices him staring, he quickly looks away, but eventually meets Hongjoong's eye, even if he looks a second from running away.

At that, Hongjoong feels his overprotective parent senses tingle, and it's the exact moment he thinks that _yes, he's adopting this kid_.

After he changes into his own uniform, he slides into the free space next to the boy, gently bumping his hip in greeting before chuckling at the quiet yelp it earns him. The younger's head raises from the hunched over position he was in just seconds ago, and he meets Hongjoong's eye shyly.

"I'm Hongjoong. Since we're co-workers now, it's only civil that we at least exchange names," he greets, reaching out his hand for the boy to take, who only eyes it for a second before hesitantly grasping Hongjoong's palm. If his fingers tremble a bit, Hongjoong doesn't comment on it.

"Yeosang," is the only thing the boy replies, but it's enough for Hongjoong, so he only smiles at the other brightly before turning to look around the coffee shop.

It's still early, so there's not much customers there yet, which Hongjoong is grateful for, because he doesn't think this kind of job is meant for people like Yeosang. The kid clearly has anxiety, and a bad case of it, to top it off, so Hongjoong guesses the younger must either be really desperate for money or he tries to prove himself something.

Whichever it is, Hongjoong knows he wants to help the boy.)

➳

It's always a weird experience, sitting alone in the conference room.

There's no quiet chatter, no sudden bursts of laughter or overdramatic gasps. There's no Yunho to fill the room with easy small talk, no Leo to murmur playful jabs at the other members, no Libra to try and calm the others down. No Seonghwa for Hongjoong to openly admire, no Cancer to spontaneously start humming a melody Hongjoong vaguely recognizes, and no Gemini to tap his fingers against the table to the imaginary beat, despite his successful attempts to keep a straight face.

And there's no Sagittariusㅡ until he is.

Hongjoong's eyes snap up to meet the Super's curious gaze as the boy slips into the room, fingers tugging at his mask carefully, gently enough not to actually pull it down.

There's something strange about his stance, as if he was trying too hard to look casual, and Hongjoong sees as the boy's eyes crinkle up in a silent smile directed at him.

"Is something wrong?"

Sagittarius' eyes widen at the question before he catches himself, and the boy shakes his head lightly before replying, voice too smooth and too measured to be natural, "I think I should be asking you this."

Hongjoong only tilts his head to the side, before nodding at the other to go on.

"You seem really stressed out," is all the explanation the boy gives, and Hongjoong sucks in a breath at the words.

"It's nothing, really," he murmurs back, avoiding Sagittarius' prying gaze by locking his eyes on the table, as if it was the most interesting thing he's ever seen.

By the Super's silence, he can tell the other doesn't believe him, but he doesn't say anything about it, instead taking a few steps closer after carefully closing the door and soon, he takes the seat next to Hongjoong, focusing on the table as well, and it's like a silent agreement not to look into each other's eyes when the boy speaks up again.

"Do you think... do you think the Illusionist will try anything new?"

Hongjoong's eyebrows furrow at the words, because he hasn't actually thought about it before ㅡ all this time, he hasn't even asked Seonghwa about what, exactly, happened after he left. As if the villain would just miraculously disappear.

That's... actually, kind of naive of him.

"I don't know. At least, I hope not," he replies, choosing his words carefully before finally turning to glance at Sagittarius, "what, are you worried about that?"

The Super winces, his lips twisting visibly and Hongjoong doesn't dare ask why his reaction is so strong, but he notes it at the back of his mind, just on case.

"Kind of," admits the younger in a small voice, and Hongjoong stares at him for a second longer before throwing his arm around the other's shoulders, fingers brushing at his bicep reassuringly.

"It's okay," Hongjoong says, and they don't talk about it more after that.

➳

Having someone join him on his shifts at the café isn't something he's used to, but he thinks he likes it.

Yeosang's exactly as shy as he seems, so it's not easy to get closer to him, but Hongjoong's already deemed him as his unofficial adopted child, so he isn't about to back out of this.

Besides, there's a few particular details about the way Yeosang holds himself that Hongjoong doesn't need much time to notice.

First of all, the boy is always early for work. Their shifts start at the same time, yet every time Hongjoong walks into the café, the younger's always already there, changed into his uniform, and checking the time, almost anxiously, until their shift officially starts.

(It isn't until today that Hongjoong decided to come in early as well, just to see when, exactly, Yeosang arrives for his shifts. By the time the younger shuffles in, ducking away to quickly change, there's still a little more than fifteen minutes until they have to work.

Hongjoong guesses it must be an anxious habit, or something like that.)

Two, Yeosang never actually meets their customers' gaze.

He always seems to focus on their eyebrows, or a spot right under their eyes. Hongjoong didn't notice the younger doing that with him, but maybe the other just feels more comfortable with him. At least he hopes so.

The boy also has a few nervous ticks that Hongjoong picks up on almost immediately.

When anxious, Yeosang always seems to reach out for whatever thing's the closest, playing with it absentmindedly. It's like his fingers can't stay unmoving, because if he has to stand still while taking orders his shoulders stiffen, clearly uncomfortable, and he tries to hide it by keeping a straight face, but his foot betrays him by tapping against the floor nervously.

Finally, Hongjoong comes to an assumption the younger says much more through body language than actual words.

And it seems to be right, when he hears the door of the coffee shop open, and before he looks to check who's entering, he hears Yeosang's breath hitch and he turns to glance at the boy.

He doesn't say anything, instead staring straight at the newcomer, eyes wide and lips parted as he gapes, a visible blush creeping its way up his neck before it dusts over his cheeks.

Rising an eyebrow, Hongjoong peeks at the customer, doing a double take when he notices it's Seonghwa and San, the duo chatting away easily as they take a seat by the window.

Hongjoong furrows his eyebrows, looking at Yeosang again, but they smooth out when he realizes the younger is gawking at San, and not Seonghwa, _thank God_ , because that would make everything way more awkward than it needs to be.

And as Yeosang does nothing to leave his spot by the counter, Hongjoong takes it as a sign to go take their order himself, and he pats the younger's shoulder, amused, before walking away.

At first, they don't even seem to notice Hongjoong, too preoccupied with their conversation, and it isn't until Hongjoong throws his hands around Seonghwa's shoulders in a quick hug that San gasps and waves at him enthusiastically, "Joong!"

"Hey, kid," he greets, the younger jutting out his lower lip at the nickname, and Hongjoong feels a light touch at his knuckles as Seonghwa leaves a gentle peck on the skin instead of saying anything.

Hongjoong doesn't even try to hide his smile when he sees San scrunch his nose at the interaction.

Deciding to let the younger live, he pulls back, leaning against the table instead, "how's your shoulder, anyway? I was... worried."

The last part comes out fairly quieter than the rest of the sentence, as saying it out loud feels like a secret, the kind that Hongjoong isn't supposed to tell anyone, except it's not, he just sucks at human interaction.

But the younger doesn't seem to mind, a small smile pulling at his lips before he replies, "it's okay. Mingi helped with it, even if he almost fainted when he first saw the wound."

Parting his lips, he's about to ask since _when_ San knew that Leo was Mingi, tempted to ask when he figured out that Scorpio was Hongjoong, but after a second he realizes he doesn't really want to know.

The mental image of Mingi paling at the sight of blood is kind of hilarious, though, he has to admit. His power might be healing, but the boy's always been on the weaker side when it comes to injuries.

Hongjoong knows that, because he still remembers the one time that Mingi almost cried when he saw Hongjoong fall of a bike, his knee scrapped and barely leaking a few drops of blood.

They were still kids at the time, but it seems like Mingi didn't get much better at handling the sight of it.

"I'm glad you're better," he murmurs, watching as San's face lights up with a grin, before turning to face Seonghwa, his heart almost jumping out of his chest when he notices the soft look the older's sending him.

"God, can you tune down the heart eyes? I think I'm gonna have a heart attack," he whines, and he thinks he can see San scoff from the corner of his eye, but pays it no mind, instead focusing on the way a lazy smile creeps onto Seonghwa's lips, "anyway, what do you wanna order?"

Seonghwa's gaze bounces around the room as he seems to consider all the choices, as if he didn't already know them by heart. He always orders the same few drinks, anyway.

"Just two caramel coffees, yeah?" he finally says, earning himself a fond eyeroll from Hongjoong, because here he is again, asking for two drinks instead of one, trying to figure out Hongjoong's favorite.

He nods, turning to San, who's already opening his mouth to add his own order, but Hongjoong cuts him off, "and one hot chocolate, right?"

The boy's lips snap shut and he blinks, dumbfounded, at Hongjoong before his eyes crinkle up and he smiles widely up at the older, as if remembering the boy's usual order was something way more than, well, just that. Hell, it might as well be, if San thinks of it that way.

So Hongjoong only smiles back at him before turning away.

(Later, as he and Yeosang change into their own clothes, he glances at the younger from the corner of his eye and tries to sound as casual as possible as he hums, "if you want to know, his name is San."

The boy whips his head around to stare at Hongjoong, hands still above his head in at an angle that can't possibly feel comfortable after a few seconds, shirt barely pulled halfway down his body. The boy's expression is almost comically shocked, and Hongjoong can't hold himself back from chuckling at the clear confusion in Yeosang's eyes.

"You know, my friend, the cute boy that you've been admiring the whole time he was there?" he explains, watching as Yeosang's ears tint pink, before the boy ducks his head and pulls the shirt all the way down.

The younger clears his throat, mumbling something vaguely reminding Hongjoong of a _thank you_ , and that's the moment he decided to take pity on him and not tease the boy any further.

"He's your age, by the way," he adds in, and Yeosang doesn't quite meet his eye but he can tell the other is listening as he stops everything that he's doing, "I'm sure that if you try talking to him he'll immediately like you. If he doesn't do it first, that is, he's a pretty open person."

Yeosang nods, eyes flying up to catch Hongjoong's gaze as he does so, and he guesses that means their conversation is over.

He doesn't waste any more time as he changes, hand reaching out for his phone to check the hour, and he thinks that if he runs out right now, he'll still be able to catch the bus before it drives away.

Before he leaves the café, though, he's pretty sure he catches Yeosang voice again.

"San."

It's barely above a whisper, and Hongjoong guesses he wasn't actually meant to hear that; it feels like he's barged in on something intimate he shouldn't have witnessed, because the name was said with such pure curiosity, like the boy was trying it out to check how it sounds rolling off his tongue, and Hongjoong hurries to step out of the coffee shop before Yeosang notices him lingering.

➳

It's always hard for him to find some time off for his own self, not to mention the time he can spend with Seonghwa.

That's why it seems almost surreal to actually go out with the older. Technically, it wasn't an actual date, because they only went on a walk and bought some bubble tea on their way, with no actual place in mind as they talked about everything and nothing, about their last mission, about Mingi and his puppy like attitude, about San and Yeosang's apparent interest in the boy, about serious things like essays they're still yet to finish and stupid shit like making puns out of their aliases.

It's something he wishes would happen more often.

He doesn't know how long they've been walking for, and his feet are starting to protest so they decide to finally head back to Seonghwa's place, just because it's closer (and maybe Hongjoong misses how comfortable he feels in the older's dorm).

He can feel the back of Seonghwa's hand brush against his before the blonde links their pinkies. Immediately, he steals a glance at the older, but Seonghwa isn't looking at him; instead, his gaze is trained ahead, but a small smile is making its way onto his lips, and Hongjoong lets himself admire the older silently.

Hongjoong's hands easily get cold ㅡ though, he quickly notices, that Seonghwa's own palms are always the same kind of comfortable warm whenever the older trails his fingers over his cheeks or when Seonghwa reaches out to hold his hand.

Before he can overthink this, the words already leave his mouth.

"Why are your hands _always_ so warm?"

It's only then that Seonghwa finally turns to look at him, eyebrows raising in amusement.

"Do you even remember what my power is?" he replies, and immediately Hongjoong scrunches his face, because, when he actually thinks about it now, no, no he doesn't.

The older lets out a chuckle at his confusion, and Hongjoong pouts at him until he finally adds, "don't worry, it's not your fault. I don't use it much, anyway."

Tilting his head to the side, Hongjoong nods at him to go on.

"I'm one of the elementals."

"Wait, really?" he mumbles, almost stopping in surprise but Seonghwa only tugs at his hand and he picks up his pace again, "which one, then?"

Seonghwa only stares at him silently, as if to tell him to really _think_ about it. So he does.

Seonghwa's alias is Aries, obviously, because of his sun sign. But what if it had something to do with his power, too? Hongjoong's eyebrows furrow before his eyes widen and he feels like an idiot for not realizing it faster.

Aries. A fire sign. Fire, _of course_ Seonghwa can control fire.

"Your power is pyrokinesis?"

Seonghwa's smile widens at that, and he nods before turning away. Now that he actually pays it enough attention, his hands do seem kind of warmer than the usual person's would in this kind of weather, especially at this hour, when the sun's already setting and the air starts to grow cold.

At least, it doesn't take long for them to reach Seonghwa's dorm, and they don't waste their time climbing their stairs.

Quite the opposite, actually. It's Hongjoong that lets go of Seonghwa's hand before pushing at the boy's shoulders lightly, "the first to enter your room wins," he says and with that, he's gone.

It's not exactly fair, because Seonghwa's taller than him and can probably also run faster than him, too, but Hongjoong has the element of surprise on his side and that's probably the only reason why he's the first one to reach the door of Seonghwa's room.

He can hear the older's laugh filling the halls, and his heart does some kind of a flip when he sees the boy rounding the counter.

Amused, he pushes the door opened, standing to the side so that Seonghwa doesn't barrel straight into him, and the blonde trips on air as he runs in, but quickly catches his footing, to Hongjoong's relief.

Humming, Hongjoong closes the door, and his heart jumps up to his throat when he turns around just to see Seonghwa's face inches from his own.

"You're gonna be the end of me, you know?" the older murmurs, the words followed by a chuckle, and Hongjoong _understands_.

Because Seonghwa's hair is tousled from the running, a few stray locks sticking out in different directions, and his cheeks are dusted red as he tries to catch his breath. Though, Hongjoong doesn't think he looks any better.

A second passes by, Seonghwa's head dipped down until he can properly breathe again, and when he meets Hongjoong's eye again it's with a smug smile that can't possibly mean any good for Hongjoong's heart.

"So," he starts, resting both of his hands on Hongjoong's shoulders, and is it really this hot in the room or is the older just fucking with him by changing the temperature a bit? "what reward does the winner want?"

Hongjoong purses his lips, acting as if he's truly thinking it through, before tipping his head higher with a soft smile, "a kiss?"

It earns him a laugh from the older, the kind that has his eyes closing and nose scrunched up, and God, what kind of good deed did Hongjoong do in his past life to be this lucky, again?

And Seonghwa doesn't reply as he leans closer, Hongjoong's eyes fluttering shut before he feels Seonghwa peck the corner of his mouth.

Immediately, he whines, because that's not really what he meant as a _kiss_ , but his lips don't stay there. As Seonghwa's fingers tighten their hold on Hongjoong's flannel, the boy trails his lips down to Hongjoong's jaw, drawing out a surprised hum from the younger.

Hongjoong doesn't complain, though, and he can't hold back a smile as Seonghwa plants the smallest of kisses over his jaw, as soft as he possibly could.

It's something that Hongjoong noticed the older do all the time. He always asks for permission before actually doing anything, like before, linking their pinkies before finally holding Hongjoong's hand when he doesn't protest, and just like what he's doing right now.

Because then, gentle pecks turn into open-mouthed kisses and Hongjoong chuckles when Seonghwa trails his lips down the skin of his neck, before murmuring, "what, you're a vampire now?"

His breath hitches as the older bites down in reply, and his hands reach up to Seonghwa's chest as if to push him away, but he stills again as the blonde only nips as the skin tenderly again, leaving a soft peck on the spot in what Hongjoong assumes is an apology.

Lifting his head again, the older looks Hongjoong in the eye for his reaction, and he must find whatever he was looking for because he only smiles cheerfully before pulling away.

"Was that good enough?" he asks, and really, Hongjoong is going to lose his mind one day, and it's all going to be Seonghwa's fault.

"Yeah," he replies, cheeks instantly burning up when his voice cracks, and Seonghwa doesn't comment on it, but there's a smug glint in his eye.

"Cool," murmurs the older, before casually adding, "so, do you want something to eat? Personally, I'm hungry as _hell_ , so if we don't eat something in the nearest future, I think I'm gonna die."

(They end up making pancakes, after that. Or, Seonghwa ends up making pancakes, because Hongjoong isn't really that good at cooking, and he tries not to think about the way his neck still stings lightly as he watches the older work.)

➳

"Hey there, _boyfriend_ ," Hongjoong says as he lands on the floor next to a curled up Seonghwa. The older's not in his suit, but that's not what surprises Hongjoong the most, it's that he's there at all, "I didn't take you for the Damsel in Distress kind of guy, but I guess I'm here to be your Prince Charming, today."

He watches as Seonghwa's cheeks turn a rosy pink, and he doesn't have the time to wonder what, exactly, was the reason for his blushing. Maybe the boyfriend part, maybe the rest of his sentence, or maybe the fact of seeing him in his Scorpio suit while the older isn't even in the middle of a patrol ㅡ or maybe it was all of these three.

But then, again, he doesn't have time to think about it more, because Seonghwa's already squinting at him before murmuring, "you _know_ I can't use my powers right now, that's the whole point of secret identities!"

"Sure, keep telling yourself that," he shoots back, winking at the older before adding, "you just wanted me to come rescue you."

Seonghwa only rolls his eyes at the words, but the corner of his lips quirks up and that's how Hongjoong knows he's actually not wrong.

He straightens up, glancing carefully behind the cover to check on the situation ㅡ he thinks there's enough time for him to safely get Seonghwa out of the building before sweeping back in to stop the robbery.

Turning back to face the blonde, he finds Seonghwa already staring back at him, and the older blinks before averting his eyes, his ears tinting pink.

That's... actually, kind of cute.

And Hongjoong might have a brilliant idea.

Crouching, he sneaks his hand behind Seonghwa's chest, his other hand reaching out under the back of his knees to hold him securely, and before Seonghwa can even protest, he picks him up, all extra and bridal style, just because he can and wants to see the older getting flustered again.

"Okay, if I get you out of here, could you _please_ just change into your suit real quick and help me with this bullshit?"

There's a moment of silence, before Seonghwa finally huffs out a meek, "yeah."

(As it turns out, by the time Seonghwa is finally in his suit again and they walk back into the building, Gemini and Libra already have everything under control, and _maybe_ Hongjoong can feel their accusatory glares on his back, but he's feeling good today and he won't let that stop him.

Even if he knows Yunho's going to scold him for flirting while on duty again.)

**Author's Note:**

> fkshdksh the last scene is kind of a... bonus? because i felt like this was a lil too short so. here, have joong, someone that's scared of being not good enough as a leader, being unapologetically irresponsible, because why not !
> 
> anyway. so. this focused more on the others a bit, because if i'm gonna continue this fic, it's not gonna be from hongjoong's perspective anymore!! and it would also focus on another pairing...... or maybe even an ot3? [eyes emoji]  
>  ALSO will joong realize that he actually is, in fact, a good leader? unu not in this fic but in the sequel, maybe?
> 
> so, if u want more of this au, please tell me, because idk if i should actually write it. i do have a plot in mind, and something that would probably surprise ya'll that i might've hinted at in this fic, but i'm not gonna write it if nobody's gonna read it fshjdhs
> 
> again, my tumblr is @ starryhwa, so if u wanna hmu!! u know what to do!!!!


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